9to5Mac is reporting that Apple stores in the U.S. have begun stocking LTE versions of the new iPad even though it is not on sale yet.

Most of these Apple stores have been instructed to wait on the official word from Apple to begin selling the tablet.

The official release date has not yet been announced, but the device arriving at stores is a good indicator that this upcoming Friday could be the launch day for the LTE iPad.

Apple began accepting pre-orders for the fourth generation iPad last month after unveiling the device alongside the new iMac, and iPad Mini.

In addition to the beefed up A6X chip, the device also features a new Lightning port at the bottom, making the tablet a lot faster and bringing it up to speed with the recently released iPhone 5.

Apple also promises that Wi-Fi capabilities on the new iPad will be twice as fast as the previous model.

The unveiling of the new iPad model shocked many as Apple decided to drop it in the public's lap just seven months after the release of the previous version.

The 4th generation iPad will take the place of the current model and start at $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model.

Apple also released the new 7.9-inch iPad Mini. This tablet is basically the iPad 2 shrunken down.

Other specs on the device include a 1024 x 768 display, A5 chipset, front FaceTime camera, rear 5-megapixel camera, Lightning connector, and a battery capable of lasting up to 10 hours. The major difference between the iPad 2 and Mini model other than size is that the Mini is available with LTE connectivity.